History of Whitehall Camp
History of Whitehall Camp & Conference Center
All journeys have a beginning. For Whitehall Camp that beginning was in 1892, and has continued now for 132 years. God has truly been faithful throughout that entire period!
Whitehall Camp started in the early 1890s when D.S. Warner was preaching in northwestern Pennsylvania, stressing the "unity of all believers." In 1892, the people of the Church of God who accepted this teaching rented about four acres next to the Whitehall Schoolhouse near Emlenton, PA. Within the next five years, the land was purchased, cleared, and Whitehall Camp was officially established.
The early vision for Whitehall Camp was to establish a place of permanence for an annual camp meeting (gathering of the saints) of The Church of God, where structures could be erected for worship, lodging, and dining. In these earliest days ministers preached from a raised platform while people sat on benches. Later, a large tent was used for general services.
The growth of Whitehall Camp Grounds continued as the movement in western Pennsylvania expanded. In 1907, the tabernacle (which is now called Pioneer Hall) was built with a capacity to seat three hundred. Additional sleeping quarters, dining facilities, and other miscellaneous buildings appeared on the grounds. Individuals began to build their own personal cabins as well. Sometime, probably in the 1930’s, Church of God Youth Camp began on a farm near Vandergrift and eventually moved to Whitehall. Eventually, the leaders at Whitehall saw the benefits of expanding the ministry of the campground beyond Camp Meeting and Youth Camps and beginning in the mid-1950’s, surrounding land was acquired to begin growing the campground into a year-round facility.
Today, Whitehall Camp is made up of several buildings over the 288 acres used for the campgrounds. Whitehall has expanded greatly over the years to include a variety of other camps and retreats for guests of all ages and is operational year-round. WC&CC focuses on its own programming with three weeks of Church of God youth camps each summer, along with a ladies retreat, winter blasts and day camps. Guest Services is a large part of the ministry with outside groups utilizing the facilities for their own retreats throughout the year. The S.M.T. (Summer Missions Team) has also become an instrumental part of the ministry with teens and young adults living on the grounds all summer helping to serve the camp’s guests. From humble beginnings through today, Whitehall's purpose has always been the same: to provide a meeting place for the saving of souls through Christ's love. To God be the glory!
NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR:
If I could have told that group of early pioneers in the Church of God Movement who were looking for a permanent location for their camp meeting, what the area around the Whitehall School would become, they might have thought I was crazy.
From the humble beginnings of the 17-acre grove of trees, this campground, through God’s blessings, has grown to almost 300 acres. It includes 28 buildings and many other facilities that enhance the ministry that takes place here. No matter where I go in the Church of God Movement or in the larger church community, I seem to find a knowledge of, or connection to, Whitehall. This fact alone should cause us to realize the wonderful ministry tool that God has blessed us with here at Whitehall.
Whether you are one of the nearly 300 leaseholders, one of the many thousands of youth campers, or one of the multitude that has been impacted by camp meeting or other events, Whitehall Camp, and the way God moves here, has touched generations.
We are so thankful for those generations that have gone before us. For their vision, their hard work, their sacrifice, and most importantly their faith in God.
Let us look back and remember what has taken place here. Let us look around and celebrate what God has blessed us with. But most importantly, let us look forward with vision, a willingness to sacrifice, and an ever growing faith in God, to make Whitehall a place where people for generations to come can experience our Lord and Savior.
Mark Pollock
Director, WCCC
